Layover at GRU airport Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Throw in a couple chickens and you have a Bolivian bus vibe going.

 We made it! We were now on our way out of Bolivia.  I do not know if BOA (Boliviana de Aviacion) maximized seating by squashing us in or that is how 737 flights always are.  But the flight from Santa Cruz to Sao Paulo, Brazil has won my reward for most cramped international flight ever.  If there was 6 inches between my nose and the seat in front of me I would be surprised.  This is after my nose job, I can't imagine pre-op.  Having said that, the flight was less then half of the competitors fare, and for 50% off give me a blanket and a seat belt and you can strap me to the wing!

Welcome to Brazil

Our gateway out of South America was Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Sao Paulo, along with Buenos Aires, seems to be the 2 largest hubs out of South America to head to the old world, so if coming to South America via any non Americas airline,  there is a good chance you land here.  We had a 13 hour layover going and 22 hour layover coming back home.  We had a good chance to experience the airport.  It seems that all the posts thus far have had more negative then positive,  but I need to call them as I see them, and Guarulhos International Airport is not the place to be stuck for a long layover. The decoration is dark and cave like with natural cement and shades of beige being the norm.

GRU International Airport

 Seating is extremely limited as are affordable restaurant choices.  Everything is crazy expensive.  We knew this before hand so we took our picnic lunch from Bolivia, and laid out a sleeping bag in the corner of the terminal.  We seemed to be the only ones doing a long lay over and it was uncomfortable.

We found a total of 6 double seats in the entire airport, so we were on prime real estate.  The homeless come in at night to sleep on these few benches as well, so stake your claim early or feel sympathetic and move.

 For entertainment we would would walk up and down the terminals seeing all the different airlines and collecting their different luggage tags.  The prince especially had a great time doing this and he is getting quite a collection.  The airport might be run down and drab, but it is pretty big and very busy.

  On the ticketed passenger side of the terminal things are a little better.  Where our gate was had access to  4 gates, a very small cafe and a small duty free shop.  There was a door separating us from the rest of the gates that was closed.  Not sure on what it depends, but if we were trapped in here for too long it would be very boring indeed.  On our other leg this was all open and afforded a larger area to roam and more choices for food or visual stimulus.

For the layover on the way back we decided that 22 hours was too much time at the airport and we needed a hotel.  The airport is a little far from Sao Paulo proper so we decided to find something in the town of Guarulhos where the airport is located.  The option of staying in Sao Paulo meant a very long commute and either an expensive cab ride, or stressful bus/train ride with bags and kids. We had trouble finding anything online so we decided to wing it and find something on arrival.  Just outside the international departure terminal, on the ground floor, hotel touts hold up signs and battle for your business.  At the information desk they offer a list of legit hotels so you can make sure yours is on the list.  We found one for 100 usd a night including transfer to and from airport, and breakfast. This hotel is not the place you would take your Mother in law to to impress her.  It was Spartan at best, and though not worthy of a mention, it was clean, safe and the breakfast quite good and filling.  We gorged ourselves to hold us over until the in flight lunch.  1 egg a-la-carte had a 10 usd price tag on it and no way were we willing to pay that.  The hotel served its purpose well and beat the airport hands down.  The beds also allowed us to help get back on local time and not be so strung out and confused.

I really did try to see all I could in our couple of hours between breakfast and our ride back to the airport, so we headed to downtown Guarulhos.  The only thing that really struck out as noteworthy was the way they did graffiti on the second and third stories of buildings.  I wonder if they hung from the roofs or had ladders from the ground, and where the owners were while they were being vandalized. 

 It is a growing city, with all new construction and no apparent historical architecture or allure.  Some what run down and not a tourist destination by any stretch of the imagination.  Without children and luggage, and with a budget for the journey, I would make the extra effort to Stay in Sao Paulo.  It must be amazing and we will someday go back even if only for some hours during a layover.  But tired and bogged down as we were,as well as the constant warnings of crime, it did not seem prudent at the time, and the difference in ease of logistics makes Guarulhos a viable and legitimate choice.